Bobcats bring international flair to Victoria

PUISITE WINS INDIVIDUAL TITLEIt took an extra hole, but Texas State sophomore Krista Puisite beat out Tulsa's Kamryn Ruffin for the top spot at the Claud Jacobs Intercollegiate Challenge after shooting rounds of 80, 71 and 74. Ruffin and Puisite were the only two players in the tournament to shoot rounds under par. Ruffin opened the tournament with a 71.

The Texas State women golf team makes sure to sport its colors on the course, and not just those of their school.

On the side of each golf bag, next to their name, is the flag of the country they are from.

And it makes for a quirky dynamic.

"We're freakishly close," said junior golfer Gabby de Reuck, who came to Texas State from South Africa. "We all get along really well. We all have different personalities, but some how it all fits together.

"I think for a lot of people, they have a lot of trouble acclimating to the culture when the come to America," she added. "I guess since we are all foreign, we have our own foreign culture."

Whatever it is, it's producing good results.

After struggling in the first round, Texas State swept to a lead after two rounds that, while narrowed to two shots with nine holes left, they never relinquished, winning its third straight Claud Jacobs Intercollegiate Challenge on Monday.

They were led by strong rounds from sophomore golfer Krista Puisite who had rounds of 71 and 74 en route to the tournament's individual title also, her first tournament win at the collegiate level.

It was a strong showing for a team that is out of the ordinary . Most teams feature maybe one international player, and often none. Texas State's regular tournament lineup consists of four. The 10-person team has six players from other countries.

De Reuck has an idea about why international players don't normally stick at other universities.

"I've heard from other players about past experiences and others I've played with that foreign players sometimes go home quickly because they don't like it here,"

But de Reuck said the San Marcos community in which Texas State is located is friendly to her and her teammates, and has been welcoming to them.

Do the international players come to Texas State on their own or do they have to be recruited?

"Both," said Texas State golf coach Mike Akers. "I try to recruit Americans, and Texans first and foremost. But trying to beat Texas and Texas A&M is hard."

One of those players that came to him was Mara Puisite, a freshman this year and sister to Krista Puisite, the team's top player. The two are originally from Riga, Latvia.

It was while visiting her sister, Mara said, that convinced her to head to San Marcos.

"The whole team is super nice, and every one is nice to each other," she said. "Maybe because we are international, we don't look for trouble, we just get along."

The area is a helping factor, too

"It just ended up having a lot of international players. They want to get away from cold weather," Akers said. "We have a great location, between Austin and San Antonio."

DARING HIS TEAM TO WINMike Akers told his team that if they won one of their first three tournaments, he would jump off the Stratosphere in Las Vegas.

The Texas State coach, who his players say is afraid of heights, better start preparing himself. They plan to hold him to that bet, de Rueck said.

OVERHEARD IN THE CLUBHOUSEMike Akers, to the Bobcats top player Krista Puisite at the trophy table before she began her playoff hole: "This is what you get if you win: a clock. You need a clock."